Inspiration: The Top 30 Most Creative, Cutting-Edge Ideas in Fundraising/Awareness Campaigns

Engage supporters, attract new donors, generate revenue, embrace social media, stand out from the crowd. When it comes to fundraising, I’m sure at times it seems to all of us in the ever-evolving not-for-profit world that we are treading water – or at best, being pulled along by the current. Long gone are the days when we just sent out a mailing, hoped some cheques would appear and our work was done. Today, we can meet over coffee, send an email, post on YouTube or Instagram, stream on Facebook Live, Tweet, or all of the above. We can also still host an event, make a call, buy an ad and yes...even send out a mailing. We are often asked about the most innovative and creative ways that funds are being raised and stakeholders are being engaged today. And so, we have searched the world for 30 of what we feel are the most original, creative, successful ideas in fundraising and constituency engagement. We are delighted to share these Top 30 ideas across two editions of Philanthropic Trends Quarterly. Some of them will be familiar to you, but I’m betting one of them could inspire your next big idea.

24-hour news and the internet have brought the problems of the world to our doorstep. Donors can – and do – text financial support the minute they hear of a disaster or crisis, even if it’s thousands of kilometers away.

Thanks to social media, someone, somewhere is raising money for something. 24/7.

Today’s donors know what they care about.

Size doesn’t always matter.

In many instances, it’s not the charities doing the campaigning. It’s us, our families and friends.

The common thread woven through each one of our Top 30 is inspiration. If you inspire, they will come. Enjoy!